Seven in court over fuel card fraud

Rundu-Six petrol attendants and a government employee recently appeared in court on charges of fuel card fraud following their arrest after it was discovered they had been defrauding the government through the unauthorised use of petrol cards of a broken-down bus and a truck allocated to the Frans Dimbare Youth Centre in Mukwe Constituency.
The two vehicles, whose details the group have been using, belong to the Frans Dimbare Youth Centre in Mukwe in Kavango East and have not been in use since last June.

The seven accused have appeared before magistrate Sonia Sampofu in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court.
Vindju Johannes Munenda (50), who is an employee at the government garage in Rundu, appeared on two counts of fraud while the six petrol attendants from Paradise Puma Service Station appeared on one count of fraud each.

Other petrol attendants from Hombe Service Station in Divundu resigned in a hurry, but the police are on their heels.

Munenda was denied bail because he also has two other pending cases of fraud. However, his co-accused, who are petrol attendants at Paradise Puma Service Station, namely: Muyenga Matheus Mbangu (25), Berhard Haingura (41) and Petrus Kasekere (61), were granted N$2,000 bail each. Three female petrol attendants Makalitya Agripina (36), Maria Iina Shapumba (41), and Evalista Haingura (34), were released on warning. The suspects defrauded government of petrol worth N$265,847.86, which they fraudulently bought at Paradise Puma Service Station. The government also incurred a loss of N$318,731.07 through petrol fraudulently bought through Hombe Service Station.

The case was postponed to April 16 for further police investigations and all the seven suspects are expected to make their second court appearance.
Prosecutor Emma Mayavero represented the State.